SUNY Oswego Reaches Out to Small Businesses

SUNY Oswego's Office of Business and Community Relations and Small Business Development Center have started a public outreach campaign throughout Oswego County to promote their business services.

OCBR hired Chena Tucker, a small-business owner with a strong background in customer service, to speak with business people and community leaders about the office's programs, and to determine what needs still should be served.

"Our goal is to get the word out to the public and to bring people into our program in order to provide them with the tools for starting and running a successful business," Tucker said. "Small business is the lifeblood of our local economies. Their vibrancy translates into the prosperity and livability of the communities in which they do business."

The Small Business Development Center at SUNY Oswego offers business advisement, education and resources for small-business owners and entrepreneurs. The center also is promoting several other programs, such as a utility incentive to cut energy expenses, a new distance-learning mobile computer lab and the Micro-Enterprise Program's small-business training class.

"I also want to speak with local business owners and get their feedback about what kind of training workshops and seminars they would like us to host in the future," Tucker said. "We have already received excellent ideas related to customer service, social networking and other marketing strategies.

"If you would like to open a small business and develop ways to improve your bottom line ... you can do it, and we can help," she said.

For more information about programs and resources, contact the SUNY Oswego Office of Business and Community Relations at 315-312-3492 or obcr@oswego.edu.